Britain 1964-70 Flashcards
(33 cards)
Why was there a growth of leisure time in sixties Britain?
- Economic growth meant people had more money and time to invest in Mod Cons.
- TV accounted for 23% of all leisure time by 1969.
What are examples of the expansion of mass media in 60s Britain.
- ‘Up the Junction’ caused controversy because of its depiction of abortion and interracial relationships.
-The governments private lives were in the media, e.g. the Profumo affair.
What is an example of the reduction in censorship in 60s Britain?
The trial of ‘Lady Chatterley’s lover’ was won by Penguin, a book highly controversial because of its sexual content and challenge of social conventions.
what scientific developments were there in the sixties?
The ‘Black Arrow’ was a British satellite carrier rocket developed in the 60s which placed the Prospero satellite into orbit, the only successful orbital launch conducted by the UK.
What progress was there towards female equality?
- Ford machinists strike, where women were classed as less skilled workers than men and so paid less, and the strikes boosted their pay to 92% of men’s.
-Abortion Act (1967), Divorce reform act (1969), Equal pay Act (1970)
was there a youth culture and permissive society?
- Ally pally pothead rally, fundraising for an anti - establishment paper.
-Polls in the 1960s showed that actually the majority of people, young and old, did not support the more relaxed laws on marriage, homosexuality and abortion
Was there a peace movement?
-Demonstrations against Polaris, CND (campaign for nuclear disarmament) symbol of rapidly changing society.
Was there a conservative backlash to the the more permissive society?
Mary Whitehouse campaigned about social liberalism and the British Media, being a part of the ‘Clean up TV’ pressure group.
What is De Jure vs De Facto
De Jure = According to the law
De Facto = ‘In reality’ whether society has actually changed.
What was the economic problem in this period?
- To modernise Britian and reduce the trade gap (373 million inherited)
- Britain was described as being ‘In decline’ compared to other countries such as Western Europe, Japan and the USA.
What was the national plan?
- A programme drawn up by George Brown to increase industrial production and exports, and encouraged cooperation between employers, government and trade unions.
-This did sufficiently impress the electorate for a Labour re-election in ‘66.
-This was quietly abandoned in 1967 because only a few of the key targets were met.
What happened with the devaluation of the pound (making exports cheaper to buy but imports more expensive) in this period?
- Wilson devalued the pound from $2.80 to $2.40 in exchange rates, which lost him a lot of support because it was perceived as a large economical failure.
-Wilson controversially said ‘the pound in you pocket isn’t worth any less’, a deeply misleading statement. - It could be argued this was over dramatized and didn’t cause a trade deficit.
What happened with the application to the EEC in this period?
-Due to economic worries at home, Wilson applied to the EE in 1967 despite party uncertainty (joining the EEC would mean free trade without tariffs).
-The application was backed by the Conservatives and the Liberals, but opposed by 36 Labour MP’s.
-This was vetoed by De Gaulle, humiliating Wilson, however this did lay the groundwork for Britain to be accepted in ‘73.
What was the private sectors balance of payments like in 1969?
In surplus of 1362 million, showing sound economic policy.
What were the economic challenges of this period? (2)
To keep prices down and handle the trade unions.
What was ‘In place of strife’?
- A white paper backed by Wilson which proposed to reduce Trade Union power, with legal restrictions on the right to strike.
What was the impact of ‘In place of strife’?
- Never advanced, when put to parliament by Barbara Castle it caused divisions, with the left saying it went against labour principles.
-This meant it irritated the left and the Unions but never had any impact, so was in no way successful.
What are examples of extreme union action in this period?
- Closed shop system and wildcat strikes meant a large impact.
-A series of strikes over pay in 1966-7 were very destructive.
-There were 10,780,000 strike days in 1970 due to closed shop.
What were the social challenges of this period?
-To introduce progressive reforms and tackle the Enoch Powell problem.
-To increase social mobility through education.
What happened with the death penalty in this period?
- Public opinion was divided over the death penalty.
- In 1965 the murder Act hanging was abolished for a trial period of five years, which was made permanent in the 1969 Act.
What were some of the social reforms passed in 1969?
The Death Penalty 1969, The divorce reform Act 1969, founding of the Open university 1969.
When were the two race relations Acts? What were they?
1965 and 1968 - prohibited racial discrimination in public places and in employment and housing.
What happened with abortion in this period?
- Illegal until 1967, with between 100,000 and 200,000 backstreet abortions happening annually.
-In 1967 the abortion Act made it legal if two doctors approved that it risked damage to mental or physical health of the woman (there were over 5 million abortions under this act by 2007)
What happened with divorce in this period?
- divorce had previously required proof of adultery, which often only the rich could get.
-The Divorce reform act in 1969 allowed for divorce following an ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of the relationship. This led to nearly 10 in ever 1000 ending in divorce by the 1970s.
